Language of Instruction in the African Classroom: Key Issues, Challenges and Solutions

Language of instruction is a topic of great interest in current international education and development discourse, particularly as it applies to early-grade reading. As a result, African language-medium instruction has received increased attention from international education donors and stakeholders in the last 10+ years. This chapter examines some of the complexities of local language-medium education programming, particularly in African contexts. It provides an overview of key program features, identifies the most common challenges that arise in developing such programs, and suggests some tested ways of meeting those challenges.